


Peacekeepers

by MrRhapsodist



Series: Force Bonds [4]
Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: Aunt-Niece Relationship, Children, Coruscant, Domestic Fluff, Dreams and Nightmares, F/F, Family Bonding, Fluff, In-Laws, Jedi Training, Moving In Together, Romance, Vacation, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-01-17 13:43:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12366984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrRhapsodist/pseuds/MrRhapsodist
Summary: Tenel Ka has saved her people and given up her crown. Jaina Solo has resigned from Wraith Squadron and embraced the Jedi path. And at their new home on Coruscant, they’ll find a way to raise Allana and build a life together.A series of vignettes on Jaina and Tenel Ka’s ongoing romance and family life.





	1. Home

**Author's Note:**

> I thought I'd be done with this series, but I decided to use this storyline as an ongoing writing exercise. Just to see how many of these short, sweet vignettes I can crank out whenever possible. Who knows? Maybe the well never runs dry, and this goes on for years... or it'll last a month, and I'll do something else.
> 
> Either way, enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaina suffers tough memories late at night and seeks solace in a drink with someone she loves.

She woke up with a start, vaulting forward in bed and swinging her legs around, just like she’d been trained. Conditioned by months and years of rapid response drills, to the warning klaxons on a fighter base that summoned all pilots to their ships to engage in a counterattack with enemy forces. But when her eyes adjusted, she listened for the klaxons and found nothing. Only the distant _snap-hiss_ of a lightsaber igniting, and a man’s tortured cry in a lonely desert. But even those sounds faded away, leaving only her deep, ragged breathing.

In the darkness of her bedroom, Jaina Solo pressed her hands to her face and sighed.

Pulling her knees to her chest, she decided that she was done feeling this way. It’d been ten months, after all. Ten months since the fight on Tangrene. Ten months of readjustment. One last campaign with Wraith Squadron, followed by a week and a half of negotiations and recovery at the Fountain Palace on Hapes. And then months of blissful family time on Coruscant, with relatives old and new. Even Jaina’s downtime was active. Between her studies at the Jedi Temple and the arduous work of terminating her commission with the New Republic Starfighter Corps, she’d hardly had a moment’s rest.

Nor even a full night’s sleep, as it turned out.

Through the darkness of the room they shared, Jaina looked over and smiled at the sleeping form of Tenel Ka. Her girlfriend lay on her side, with her back to Jaina, utterly tranquil. It surprised Jaina, since the warrior woman was usually a light sleeper. But of all the nights, she chose this one to fall into a deep rest. Her copper-red curls fell in a spray around her head, matted by the pillow under which she’d stuck her hand.

Jaina leaned over and kissed Tenel Ka’s forehead. Then, as quietly as she could, she slipped out of bed and pulled on her robe.

The apartment that she’d gotten with Tenel Ka was smaller than most, but still spacious enough to be cozy. Jaina took comfort in this fact as she felt her way down the hall to the kitchen. One wrong turn would have her bumping into a doorframe, but it wasn’t like the grand halls of a temple dormitory, where she didn’t feel quite at home. She didn’t share her mother’s taste for oro wood panelling, but Tenel Ka had been happy to purchase an apartment with suitable Alderaanian décor. Even in the shadows, the blue walls had a silver trim that Jaina could follow just by touching it.

When she got into the kitchen, she reached out with the Force and triggered a light switch on the far side of the room. A pair of lamps in the ceiling turned on, set to low power so as not to cause a glare. Deciding against caf, Jaina checked the cabinet for a bottle of something. Nothing as strong as, say, the Whyren’s Reserve her father had given her for her birthday, but not exactly water either. When all that she could find was a half-empty bottle of Zeltron-style juice, Jaina shrugged. She poured herself a glass at the counter.

A whisper of motion from the hallway made her freeze. However, a quick scan of the Force revealed who it was, and Jaina forced herself to relax. She went and grabbed a second glass as a pair of tiny footsteps came padding across the tiled floor behind her.

“Aunt Jaina?” a soft voice asked.

Turning around, Jaina smiled at her niece. Allana stood in the kitchen, still wearing her pajamas and yawning. It wasn’t lost on Jaina that the girl had stopped carrying her stuffed tauntaun everywhere. Once things had quieted down on Coruscant, she’d become less skittish than before. But then, surviving a revolution and multiple attempted kidnappings would do that to a child. As the daughter of a former Chief of State, Jaina knew exactly what that was like.

“Hey, princess,” she said. Leaning down, Jaina held out her arms and picked Allana up. She sat the girl on the counter, and then offered her a glass of juice. Allana took the drink with a smile, and Jaina watched her for a moment. Then, she, too, enjoyed her late-night sugar fix.

“Can’t sleep?” asked Jaina.

Allana shook her head. “Mm-mmm.”

“Was it a bad dream?”

Again, Allana shook her head. She handed Jaina her glass and whispered, “I heard you wake up.”

Jaina blinked. “You heard me wake up?”

“Yeah.” A slight shiver ran down the child’s face. “You were dreaming of the bad man.”

It didn’t seem fair that six little words could pierce Jaina’s heart so deep. She fought back the surge of emotion that ran through her, and she forced herself to take a deep breath. In, and out. In, and out. After a few exercises, she was level-headed again. Not fully mended, but focused enough to reach out and pull her niece into a hug. Jaina brushed at Allana’s hair and sighed.

“I’m sorry, honey,” she whispered. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“I wasn’t scared,” Allana replied.

The shiver that ran through her, however, said otherwise. Jaina clucked her tongue and tightened her embrace.

Pressing Allana’s head to her shoulder, she tried to steer her thoughts away from the horrors of ten months prior. Instead of roaring ion engines and lightsaber strikes, she filled her mind with gentler memories. Like the morning when she and Tenel Ka brought Allana to the Coronet Zoo, or the time she helped Chewbacca patch up a burnt-out hyperdrive motivator. And the more she thought that way, the easier it became to believe that life would keep on going that way. Jaina could forget that she had duties to the Jedi Order, or that her own brother was cut off from the Force inside a detention center halfway across the planet.

With this child in her arms, Jaina could forget a lot of things if she really wanted.

“Come on, sweetie.” Lifting Allana up, Jaina carried her across the kitchen. The little girl’s arms tightened around her shoulders as they left, with Jaina sending a tiny pulse of the Force to switch off the lights. In the sudden gloom, she let her mind extend and carried Allana back to her room down the hall.

“Aunt Jaina?” Allana looked up as Jaina lowered her back into bed. “Can you sleep now?”

“I’m sure I will.” After a pause, Jaina reached out and brushed the girl’s hair. She pulled the covers back over Allana and bent down to kiss her cheek. “You get some sleep, too. Okay?”

“M’kay...” Allana’s eyes were already fluttering shut. Jaina envied her for that. She hadn’t fallen asleep so deeply since she was a teenager. Eons ago, as far as she was concerned.

Jaina would’ve gone straight to bed herself, but she needed to stop and admire her niece. The girl she more or less legally adopted as her own, with Tenel Ka’s blessing. Stroking her dark hair, Jaina could only imagine what kind of future lay ahead for her. She was a former princess, but with no throne left to inherit, Allana could become whatever she desired. A small, selfish part of Jaina wanted to see the girl become a Jedi like so many others in her family, but she knew that wouldn’t have to be the case. The girl was bright and quick to adapt. She really could do whatever she set her mind to, and her aunt couldn’t be prouder.

For once, she was pleased to know that Jacen had fathered a child with Tenel Ka. It had been under tragic circumstances, but something good and pure had entered the universe because of it. If nothing else, then, it gave Jaina some hope about where things might go with the girl’s father.

 _But not yet,_ she promised herself. _He needs time to heal. And so do I._

Leaning down again, Jaina kissed Allana on the forehead and patted her hair. “Sleep well, princess. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She withdrew from the girl’s room, closing the door softly behind her. But as soon as the door slid shut, Jaina felt a strong arm encircle her waist. She relaxed into the warmth of the body pressing in from behind, and she reached down to pat the hand resting on her hip.

“Sorry to wake you,” said Jaina.

“Don’t be.” Tenel Ka’s voice purred in her ear. “If you needed to talk, Jaina, you know I’m here.”

“I know.” Turning around, but still holding onto her hand, Jaina looked her girlfriend in the eyes. She smiled and tightened her grip. “We’ll talk in the morning, okay? First thing.”

“All right.” Tenel Ka leaned in for a quick kiss. She gripped Jaina’s hand tightly and led her back to the bedroom, with the door sliding shut behind them. In the unlit room, they found their way to bed, and Jaina didn’t hear any other terrifying sounds for the rest of the night.


	2. Diplomacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tenel Ka and Leia attend a memorial service and discuss Allana's future.

Tenel Ka lifted the cowl of her hood as the winds picked up. It would’ve been easy to blame her shivers on the weather alone. However, she couldn’t deny the marvel of the sight before her.

In Monument Plaza, hundreds of humans and non-humans stood in a loose gathering near an erected stage. The stage’s built-in holoprojector depicted a real-time simulation of a massive asteroid field. Silver starships flitted in and around those asteroids, ejecting small canisters that the eye could barely detect against the midnight void of space. As the crowd watched the hologram, one by one, individuals and families came forward to the stage, leaving gifts in a pile at the front, or kneeling down and whispering messages that only they could hear. For such a large public event, there was an eerie veil of silence over the proceedings.

From near the edge of the plaza, Tenel Ka shifted from one foot to the other. She cast a sidelong glance at her companion. “Forgive me, but why wouldn’t you join them?”

“Because I don’t wish to be a celebrity.” Leia Organa Solo smiled from beneath the shadow of her own hooded cloak. “If I were there as myself,  _ I’d _ be the center of attention. The last survivor of Alderaan’s royal house.” She paused. “But I wasn’t the only one who lost family. Everyone here did. And all those gathered here can’t make it to the remains of their homeworld, so it’s important that they have a chance to honor their memory on this night.”

“But they still call you their Princess, don’t they?”

Now it was Leia’s turn to cast a sidelong glance. “How many Hapans still call you their queen?”

Tenel Ka’s cheeks grew warm. “A fair point.”

They continued to watch in silence. After a few minutes, one of the Alderaanians went behind the stage. A second or two later, a soft series of notes began to rise through the air. Voices of every gender and species rose as one, joining in an ancient hymn. Tenel Ka had heard this music only a few times before, but never on a scale like this. When heard alongside the hologram of the remains of Alderaan, she could imagine that there were billions of ghosts still wandering those same asteroids, singing in unison with the survivors.

“I wish you could’ve brought Allana,” Leia remarked. “It’d be good for her to learn about her heritage.”

“I would, if not for Mara’s insistence that she get some quality time.”

Leia chuckled. “She’s really enjoying being a great-aunt, isn’t she?”

“So it would seem.” Tenel Ka allowed a twinge of a smile. “And Allana adores her, in any case.”

“So did Jaina, when she was her age.” Leia sighed. When her head lowered, the hood fell so that her entire face was concealed. “I suppose I should be grateful that she never tried to take after me in politics. She’s...”

“Impatient? Stubborn?” When Leia looked up in surprise, Tenel Ka had to laugh. “Yes, I’m well-aware. I can’t help but love her for those qualities.”

Leia shook her head, still smiling. “I know. I’m glad you two make each other happy.” She reached out and took Tenel Ka by her arm. The firm but affectionate strength of her grip sent a pulse through Tenel Ka’s heart, and she smiled back, radiating her respect for the older woman.

For the woman who might yet one day be her mother-in-law.

“At any rate,” Leia asked, “have you two discussed Allana’s future? She’s not a princess anymore, even if Jaina still wants to call her that.” A strange light twinkled in her eye. “I only ask as a concerned grandmother, of course.”

Tenel Ka stared out at the crowds. She saw Alderaanians lay bouquets at the foot of the stage. The hymn concluded, and another one began. Someone wept, and Tenel Ka could sense the woman’s anguish through the Force. An old pain of loss, of children that her arms would never again hold, and of a husband whose caress she’d never again feel. An old pain, but one that the poor woman would relieve anew on every anniversary of the tragedy.

“I’d be happy if she never did what I had to do,” Tenel Ka admitted. With a sharp breath, she looked away from the crowd. “The crown was my burden, but I had the Force to guide me. I want my daughter to know a more... ordinary life.”

“Ordinary?” Leia chuckled. “You  _ do _ know that your child was born into a family of Hapan royalty, witches, and Jedi?”

“But she can choose to be more than those things.” Now a low heat rose inside Tenel Ka’s chest. She’d felt this heat ever since that moment on Tangrene, when a blast of the Force had pulled Allana away from her arms and into Jacen’s grasp. “She’s still a child. If she  _ chooses _ to use the Force, to learn the ways of the Jedi,  _ then _ I’ll train her.”

“That might be difficult.” Leia frowned. She glanced at the crowds, and at the drifting asteroids on the hologram above them. “We already know she’s Force-sensitive. She could be gifted.”

“And I’d love her to use those gifts in other ways. Just as I had to, when called to serve.” Tenel Ka tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice, but with the mourning crowds, she couldn’t help but be reminded of her own people. “I handled diplomacy and matters of security. Reading others’ intentions in the Force gave me an edge, until I found an opponent who moved faster than I’d ever expected.” Her hand curled into a fist at her side. “The Ni’Korish.”

Leia nodded. “You defeated them, though. You  _ and _ Jaina. As Jedi Knights.”

“We did it so that my people could be free, and so Allana would never again know the fear of them coming for her.”

“I know  _ that _ story.” Leia shook her head. “Jaina and Jacen... they had only just been born when the Empire tried to kidnap them. And it wouldn’t be the last time either.”

Hearing the weight in Leia’s words, Tenel Ka had to stop and ponder her next words. Try as she might, she couldn’t fight the other woman on this. Leia  _ was _ Allana’s grandmother, after all. And a far better one than Ta’a Chume could ever have been. She’d been through all this before with her own children. And she knew the suffering that only another ex-member of royalty could.

Then a thought came to Tenel Ka. Her lips curved into a gentle smile, and when she looked back, she met Leia’s questioning gaze.

“Would  _ you _ train Allana?” she asked.

Leia chuckled, more than a little surprised. “I’m no teacher. I run a class on diplomacy at the Temple, but that’s more for Luke’s sake than for mine.”

“But she  _ is _ your granddaughter,” Tenel Ka insisted. Turning to face Leia, with her back to the crowds, she put her hand on the older woman’s shoulder. “She adores you as much as she does Mara. And I’m sure you could give her a...” Her mind raced for the right words. “A foundation for her future training. Whether or not she  _ chooses _ to become a Jedi in her own right.”

“Okay.” Leia grinned, and it made her look decades younger. “But you know that Jaina’s going to be the one who actually trains her.”

Tenel Ka winked. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

They turned back and continued to watch the rest of the ceremony. By the time the third hymn ended, the crowds had begun to shrink and depart from the stage. Tenel Ka kept a vigilant eye before she followed Leia through the thinning crowd and toward the stage.

Under the hologram depicting the Graveyard, Leia knelt down and whispered a long monologue toward the pile of gifts. Tenel Ka stood behind her, not daring to lean in and eavesdrop. To do so would profane this memorial. And in any case, she had her own dearly departed to consider. With her hand at her side and her head bent, Tenel Ka uttered prayer after prayer for the people she’d lost since leaving Hapes for the first time.

When Leia stood, she took Tenel Ka by the hand. They walked out of the plaza in silence, their steps guided only by the light of the hologram.


	3. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaina and Mara finish up a harrowing mission. In the aftermath, they discuss how to reach out to Jacen after his fall.

The air was thick with fog, which only made the traps worse the further they went. Jaina dodged an arc of lightning a second before she felt it leave the tower’s summit. Another roll brought her to her feet, and she deflected the next blast with her lightsaber. It coursed back toward the peak of the temple, and finally, after so many hours, the swamp fell silent once more. Only the ragged breaths that she and Mara drew, as they slumped down on a log together, echoed across the fetid wastes.

“That...” Mara gasped and wiped at her mouth. “That was... a good lesson... about Sith Lords...” She leaned back, half-giddy as she grinned. “And why they’re all Force-forsaken  _ monsters, _ Jaina... every last one of ’em...”

“You said it!” Jaina chuckled and clipped her saber to her belt. “Oh,  _ stars, _ that was terrible...”

They leaned their backs into each other for support, watching as the last of the red lights atop the Sith temple winked out of existence.

For just over a week, Dromund Kaas had been a living nightmare. When Jaina’s uncle had sent out an expedition of Knights and Masters, they had each been assigned a different section of the planet. One final chance to scour the world for Sith artifacts, traces of the dark side, and any answers to their questions about Corvus Pall, the Sith ghost that had tried to corrupt her brother Jacen. But even millennia after the Sith’s demise, the entire planet was a neverending series of traps, malfunctioning weapons platforms, and temples guarded by either Sithspawn beasts or ghosts of the actual Dark Lords.

With a shake of her head, Mara reached into her belt. She pulled out a small cylindrical transponder, and activated the switch. The transponder lit up with half a dozen other lights, all signals from different teams. Jaina watched, her breath shallow, as she waited for the final results to come back.

When every other node on the device went green, she closed her eyes and laughed. “Oh, thank the Force. It’s over...”

“We did good.” Mara turned back with a gentle smile. “Not bad for a group of Jedi Knights. Not even the Old Order could take care of this planet.”

“I’m just glad no one else will get hurt,” Jaina said. She tried to smile, but her heart wasn’t in it. Instead, she looked down at her nails. Crusted with dirt, and caked with blood in some spots. These hands hadn’t seen a refresher in a long time. Between all the ghosts and traps, they’d hardly had a chance to rest.

For a long time, Mara was silent. Her eyes were half-closed, focused on something in the distance. Jaina couldn’t tell what she saw, but she didn’t bother to ask. So she waited.

Finally, Mara ducked her head. “This won’t be enough, though.”

“Enough for what?”

“For Jacen.” Mara lifted her head and looked over at Jaina. “I know he was Luke’s student, but...” She pursed her lips. “I feel responsible, too. I  _ know. _ I know it’s still his choice—”

“Was it, though?” Jaina shook her head. “I’m not sure I want to believe that myself. Jacen’s always been a little impressionable.” Her stomach clenched, but she made herself continue. “I could see how a Sith Lord  _ might _ tempt him into being rash. To lead him down a path that seemed righteous until it wasn’t.”

“That’s how they get you, you know.” Mara blew out a sigh. “Palpatine got me the same way. They make you believe you’re the only one dispensing justice, when in fact you’re just a pawn in their twisted games. I’ve killed more of his rivals than actual criminals, all because I thought...”

She didn’t bother finishing that thought. Nor did she need to. Jaina nodded. She scooted closer and put her arm around her aunt’s waist. Mara smiled, and leaned back into her.

“Mom’s tried, you know,” Jaina said after a long moment of silence. She glanced up at the thinning fog in the sky, as the light from over the horizon began to reach them. “She’s sat with him for maybe three or four times now. He never talks to her, though. Just sits and stares at the wall while she tells him about what’s going on.” The thought of her mother, sitting and smiling with desperate patience as her son shut her out, sent a chill through Jaina’s heart. “If he even  _ is _ listening to her...”

“And you’ve never tried to reach him?” Mara tilted her head. “Not even in your bond?”

“I did, once.” Jaina swallowed. “I’m not doing  _ that _ again. Not for a while, at least.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Mara sighed. “No, but I’d like to think that anyway.” She slid her arm around and squeezed Jaina’s hand. “I reached  _ you _ while you were still at the praxeum. If I’d done the same with your brothers, maybe...”

“Mara...” Jaina shook her head. Then she squeezed her aunt’s hand back. “If  _ I _ couldn’t see where he was going, how would you?”

“Fair point.”

Minutes passed. When the transponder signal began receiving again, Mara adjusted the controls and nodded to herself. She dropped the device into her travel pack and stood. “The other teams are on the move. We’d better get going, too.”

Jaina nodded back. She smiled when Mara offered her hand, and she took it. Meanwhile, the light was growing stronger, as a brief ray of sunlight pierced the fog layer overhead.

They were still trekking across the endless marshes when Mara cleared her throat. She glanced over at Jaina, who had just stepped around a particular foul bog.

“You know,” said her aunt, “it’s never too late for a little remedial training.”

“Um, what?” Jaina grabbed onto a low-hanging vine as she half-stepped, half-swung across the next bog. She landed cat-footed on the root of another tree. Thank the Force, the edge of the swamp was finally in view, along with the landing struts of the  _ Jade Sabre. _

“I’m just saying, if you need a refresher course on Force bonds.” Mara slipped around the gnarled trunk of another tree to avoid a fast-moving river of algae, stepping across several large rocks with quick, determined steps. Her stride didn’t falter while she spoke. “Reaching out to Jacen might be hard because you haven’t done much with bonds in the last few months.”

Jaina watched her from the other side of the river. “I think Tenel Ka might have something to say about that.”

“I’m not just talking about bonds when everything’s peaceful.” Mara came to a halt near the edge of the marshes. She leaned against a deformed black tree trunk as Jaina caught up with her. “Think back to the training exercise at Peragus. Remember when I had you and Tenel Ka navigate a safe path through the asteroids?”

Jaina did remember, in fact. Her lips twitched.

She also remembered the nervous kiss she’d gotten at the end of that exercise.

“It’s like that,” Mara continued. “The only way you two could reach an understanding was to take you  _ both _ past your comfort zones. Put yourself in the same mindset, and you just might find it easier to get to Jacen.”

“Maybe.” Jaina shrugged, and she moved to join Mara on the walk back to the ship. “But it’s like you said. I’d need to practice with bonding again.”

Flashing a grin, Mara answered, “I’d be happy to oblige. But on one condition.”

“And what’s that?”

Mara slung her arm around Jaina’s shoulders and squeezed her tight. “That you bring along that adorable niece of yours. I’m sure she’d love to see her future mentor in action.”

Laughing, Jaina leaned into her. “You can’t get enough of her, can you?”

“Hey, I’m allowed.” Mara’s voice was as warm as the rest of her body as they headed up the boarding ramp. Already, the cool recycled air in the  _ Sabre _ was a thousand times more bearable than the outdoors. “I didn’t get to be an aunt for too long before you kids grew up and started becoming teenagers and adults. If I’m going to spoil anyone properly, it’s going to be that little girl you and Tenel Ka brought home.”

Jaina was still grinning when the boarding ramp slid shut behind them. She went to join Mara at the helm, already imagining Allana’s smile when they told her the good news.

And as the starship began to whirr to life, Jaina pictured her brother, tired and alone inside his detention cell on Coruscant, trying to smile as she sat beside him. Her jaw clenched at the thought, and she breathed through the sudden welling in her heart. But as the  _ Sabre _ rose into the skies of Dromund Kaas, she put aside her fear and focused on the pure white pinpricks coming into view as their ship broke well of the planet’s gravity well.


	4. Symphony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tenel Ka helps Anakin Solo with his latest project. They bond over puzzles and trading unusual requests.

“Right this way, ma’am.” The guard’s tone was polite, but curt. His boots left a sharp cadence on the metal walkway as Tenel Ka followed him deeper into the security wing. Even as a former princess, she couldn’t abide the glances she received from passerby. Between all the uniforms and body armor, Tenel Ka couldn’t have been more out of place. Let alone the fact that, by most counts, she was still a civilian entering a restricted area of the New Republic Intelligence facility.

When they turned a corner and reached the third door down, the guard stopped. He lifted a gloved hand and punched in a keycode to the pad beside the door. Stepping aside, he waited for the door to open before saying, “In here, ma’am. Admiral Drayson says you can take as much time as you need.”

“Thank you,” Tenel Ka replied. She crossed the threshold, and the door slid shut.

Where she now stood was quite impressive. At first glance, it was a command center for some major military operation. Holographic screens and projectors lined every conceivable surface, running streams of data and real-time footage from half a dozen star systems. Tenel Ka stared at the bank of monitors to her right. After studying the series of constellations on display, her breath caught in her throat.

She would’ve recognized those stars anywhere.

Every constellation could be seen from the surface of Hapes itself.

“Good, you’re here,” a voice called out from somewhere deep in the room. “I’m back this way. Make yourself at home.”

Circling around a holoprojector table, Tenel Ka squinted past the burst of lights until she found the room’s other occupant. Crouched in a chair, with his back turned to her, was a young man with dark hair. He fiddled with the console in front of him, fingers working nimbly to adjust the resolution of the screen that towered over him. There, a map of the Hapes Cluster came into view, with golden and green lines crisscrossing from different parts of the region. Tenel Ka took interest in the three planets that were highlighted. Even without labels floating over them, she’d know them by their placement alone.

Gallinore. Terephon. Charubah. All sources of Hapan culture, technology, and military strength.

“I see you’re becoming familiar with  _ my _ home as well,” Tenel Ka remarked.

“Something like that.” When he spun his chair around, Anakin Solo grinned up at her. It wasn’t the dark hair or the lopsided grin that gave Tenel Ka pause. She’d become acclimated to such features during her time with the Solo family. But the set of his eyes and his jaw reminded her too much of Jacen. If she tilted her head the right way, she could almost imagine she saw more of Jaina or Allana in his face, or even his father Han. It helped that Anakin was even wearing a white tunic underneath a rumpled spacer’s jacket. A slight roguish flair that went well with someone of his age.

Anakin waved for Tenel Ka to sit in the chair beside his. He then touched a button on the console, and the green lines on the map faded away. Only golden paths in and out of the star cluster remained, edging closer to the three selected planets.

“I appreciate your help with this,” he said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been to your homeworld. And Alpha Blue has me running patterns on Hapan relations ever since you and Jaina put down the Ni’Korish. But I’ve been running this simulation for...” Anakin paused and glanced up at the ceiling. Then his eyes widened. “Two days now? Oh,  _ that’s _ not good.”

“You mean you haven’t left this room in two days?” Tenel Ka regarded the boy—no, she amended, the young man—and the state of his clothes.

“Well, yeah. I have, but not for long.” Anakin put his hands behind his head and examined the readout. “It’s been tricky. Mapping routes for New Republic relief shuttles, and trying to find a safer path through the Transistory Mists. I know you and Jaina took care of the rebel leaders, but there’s still a few holdouts that the Defense Council’s worried about.”

“And you want my help mapping out those routes?”

“Something like that.” Anakin shrugged. “If you’re not too busy?”

“I’m nominally on duty as a Jedi,” Tenel Ka replied, smiling a little. “If the Republic has need of me, then I suppose I’m at its service.”

“Wonderful.” Anakin crackled his knuckles in two quick bursts. “Let’s get started.”

“But first,” Tenel Ka interrupted, watching his hands freeze over the console, “I have a request.”

“Uh, okay?” Anakin brushed aside a loose strand of hair from his forehead. “What is it?”

Tenel Ka pursed her lips together. She’d been more than happy to help when she received Anakin’s message on the apartment comm. But a blind adherence to duty had its dangers, too. And for all her dedication in coming to the Republic’s service, Tenel Ka still had one or two lingering concerns to settle. Personal concerns, even if they seemed trivial compared to the matter of galactic security.

She flexed her fingers and smiled. “It’s your insight into a personal matter that I could use. After all, I’m grateful to this day that you came up with those techniques for braiding hair with only one hand.”

Anakin ducked his head, his cheeks flashing red. “Well, I mean... hey, it’s no problem.”

“You always were clever, Anakin. I wonder if you solve another puzzle for me.”

“Sure thing. What do you need?”

Reaching into her tunic, Tenel Ka produced a small data capsule. She handed it over to Anakin. “It’s nothing major, but my father is still adjusting to life on Coruscant. To life outside the royal court on Hapes, in fact.” She paused. “My mother’s done her best to guide him, but he has something of a melancholy mood these days. And I know that if I could give him something to remind him of home, he might be more at ease here.”

“Gotcha.” Anakin examined the capsule. “And this is...?”

“Fragments, I’m afraid.” Tenel Ka drummed her fingers along the top of the console. “Pieces of a grand symphony, composed by Tolar Bracell. He was a consort of the Duchess of Gallinore, and his music has always been an inspiration to my father.” She paused, letting the bittersweet memory of her last conversation with Isolder play out. The light in his eyes when he smiled over a glass of brandy at her. “His brother Kalen, before his untimely death, had been musically inclined. I believe my father might appreciate seeing this symphony finished as a tribute to him.”

“Unfinished, you say?” Now it was Anakin’s turn for his eyes to light up. He glanced down at the capsule, twisting it around in his fingers. “Is it data corruption?”

“Something like that,” Tenel Ka admitted. “I only know that Bracell never finished this work before his own death. And my father considered it a great loss to Hapan culture.”

“To  _ all _ culture,” Anakin added. He smiled, and Tenel Ka found the sight reassuring, even if his resemblance to Jacen was still unsettling. “I can’t help but think of so many beings across the galaxy who’d want to hear this when it’s done.”

“Exactly.” Tenel Ka sighed with relief. “But, of course, I don’t need this right away. For now, I’m more than happy to help with your map.”

When he put away the capsule, Anakin frowned. He stared at the star cluster map for a long time, not saying a word. Tenel Ka could do nothing more than wait.

Then, finally, the young man cleared his throat. When he turned back to Tenel Ka, his face was even brighter than ever. A bright shade of red that almost made her laugh.

“So...” he began.

“Yes?”

“I, um, might have one  _ more _ favor to ask you,” Anakin added, ending on a cough into his hand.

“And that would be?”

“Well, it’s like this.” Anakin spread out his hands. “I know that you and my sister are as close as could be now. And that’s great. Really, it’s the happiest I’ve ever seen her.” His eyes lowered to the floor, and Tenel Ka could practically touch the shame radiating off him in waves. “But, uh, perhaps you’d be so good as to give me a couple of pointers? You know, with, uh...” He cleared his throat again. “With talking to, uh...”

“Anakin?” Tenel Ka tilted her head to the side, regarding him from a new angle. “Are you asking for my help with romance?”

Anakin’s gaze remained fixed on the floor.

“Something like that,” he mumbled.

Tenel Ka smiled fondly. “I see. And this would be your friend Tahiri?”

Anakin could only nod.

Her smile stayed cool, but inside, Tenel Ka let out a shout of joy. She’d often spied the two at the temple together, chatting amiably and sharing meals together in the refectory. But this was something new. Something bold. For just a moment, she was a teenager again, standing in the cockpit of the  _ Jade Sabre _ as she held onto Jaina’s hand and let their new bond reveal all those close-kept secrets of the heart to each other. To confess their love without so much as saying a word, with nothing more than a tentative kiss.

Mara had done her part to get them there. Tenel Ka couldn’t do anything less for another member of the family.

“You have my word, Anakin.” Placing her hand over his, Tenel Ka waited until he lifted his gaze. “I will do my best to help you and Tahiri find your own happiness.”

“Thanks!” Anakin’s grin returned. “I... I just... thank you!”

“Of course.” Tenel Ka leaned back in her chair and gestured to the display. “Shall we begin?”

“You betcha.” Swiveling his chair around, Anakin refocused his attention on the map. The smile never once left his face. “Okay, so I’m seeing how these star systems align, but what I don’t see yet is how they connect to the space outside the cluster. And that’s where  _ you _ come in...”


	5. Overhaul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaina gets involved with repairs on the Falcon, provided she can keep the peace between Luke and Han.

“This is _not_ how I wanted to spend my afternoon...” Luke Skywalker’s voice drifted out from the depths of the service access well. His hand shot up through the hatch, fingers flexing impatiently. “Hydrospanner, please.”

“Coming up!” Jaina floated the tool over to her uncle. Both her hands held a pair of wires in place as Chewbacca soldered them back together. Her grasp on the Force was free, at least.

“It was one question,” Luke continued. “All I asked was, ‘Hey, Han, how’s it going?’ And Force be kind, here I am, fixing his latest mishap.” A steady _click-click-whirr_ punctuated his words. The hydrospanner was hard at work. After a moment, he let out a sigh, and Luke emerged from inside the access well. His face was smudged black, contrasting with the gray of his beard. “Okay, Chewie. It’s in place. For now.”

Chewbacca growled back in the affirmative. With dexterous fingers, he set down the fusion cutter. Jaina stepped back from the console. She watched the Wookiee lean over the control unit and made a few adjustments. Sensing her uncle’s frustration with the whole affair, she reached out with the Force and floated a damp rag to him.

“Thanks, Jaina,” he said, catching the rag and wiping off his face. “You’ve got your mother’s instincts.”

Jaina grinned. “Cleaning up after Dad’s messes?”

Luke paused, lowering the rag from his cheek. “I was going to say it’s your concern for others. But _yes,_ that, too.”

“Hey, give the kid a break.”

Turning at the sound of his voice, Jaina smirked. Han Solo appeared in the doorway of the main hold, wiping engine grease off his hands with a rag. He looked every bit as tired and dirty as his brother-in-law, but unlike the Jedi Master, Han grinned like a maniac. Considering that he was back on board the _Falcon,_ he would grin like that. Jaina had seen her father suffer through countless diplomatic events, dozens of government meetings, and more than a few Jedi assemblies. But put him on an ancient freighter with a few loose circuits and panels, and he never looked happier.

“This is part of her education, you know,” Han continued. He shot a wink at Jaina and added, “She’s flown a wartime U-wing with half-working sublights, so she’s almost on our level.”

“I don’t deny that.” Luke leaned back against the nearby wall, following the curve of his hand. “But you’ve got access to Republic engineers and techs. To resources all across _Coruscant._ ”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning _how_ in the nine Corellian hells did _you_ manage to blow out your hyperdrive motivator?” Luke gestured to the far side of the room, where a burnt-out piece of tubing sat on top of a stack of empty cargo crates. “This isn’t the Rebellion, where we’re hurting for spare parts. You only just got back from Kashyyyk, and _this_ is how wreck your ship?”

“Hey, I resent that.” Han gave the nearby console an affectionate pat. “She’s an old bird, but she’s got it where it counts.”

Turning from the console, Chewbacca growled a query. He cocked his head to the side and added a soft chortle.

Han threw up his hands. “Well, don’t look at _me._ Those Trandoshan blast cannons hit hard.” He cast a pleading glance at Jaina. It was the kind she’d often seen whenever he was losing an argument with her mother. “Okay, it’s possible— _entirely_ possible—that the motivator might’ve taken a hit during one of my, uh, more memorable maneuvers.”

Jaina crossed her arms, still smirking. “You flashed your dorsal radiators to lure their gunners?”

At first, her father blinked. But after a moment, a light shone in his eyes, and a proud smile spread over his face. He turned to Luke and gestured. “You see? She’s learning fast already.”

Luke could only sigh and lower his face into his open palm. Jaina felt for him. He couldn’t have known that suggesting Han and Chewbacca getting involved with New Republic Intelligence would lead them down a path. But Han’s idea of being an “intelligence consultant” went beyond what General Cracken and his staff had intended. Which was how, in the long run, Han and his co-pilot found themselves in the middle of a stellar route dispute between Wookiee freighters and a Trandoshan security patrol. Instead of sitting quietly as promised, Han had taken the liberty of “mediating” the situation.

One damaged patrol craft later, the situation had spiraled into something that would give Cracken’s staff the biggest collective headache. It had taken Chewbacca’s intervention with the local Trandoshan clan lord and the Wookiee senator Triebakk to negotiate compensation for all parties. Meanwhile, the HoloNet was abuzz with the fallout of “Solo’s Mercy Mission.” Jaina had taken no small amount of delight in name-dropping the news story once her father came home.

Meanwhile, Chewbacca pointed to something on the console. He growled out a long statement, side-eyeing Han the entire time and gesturing to the screen with a persistent tap of his finger.

“Okay, okay!” Han turned from the Wookiee and stalked over to the burnt-out motivator. He crouched beside it and gave the device a cursory poke. It sizzled, and Han bit back a curse. “Okay, so _maybe_ I overdid the last few evasions. But, hey, at least this piece of junk got us back home in one piece, right?”

“Han, that motivator was brand-new,” Luke insisted. He gave Jaina a concerned glance. “Tell me you haven’t cost us _another_ overhaul. My sister’s tired of trying to justify the expense.”

“They were a lot more willing last time,” Jaina offered with a smile. “Might have something to do with how we wrapped up things with Jacen and the Sith resurgence.”

Luke rubbed at his eyes. “True. I’d hate to keep using that as an excuse, though.”

Jaina knew he was being kind in that response. Even beyond the fatigue in his voice, her uncle radiated exhaustion in the Force. Not just the pain of what her twin brother had nearly become, but in the months that they had spent trying to track him down. The long campaign to expose the Sith threat had taken more than just risky missions to the far corners of the galaxy. It had sent the entire family spinning into different directions. This quiet peace on Coruscant was the first time all the Solos and Skywalkers had been together and happy in well over a year.

Han exchanged a look with Chewbacca. After a moment’s pause, he shrugged. “Well, look, kid. Maybe this is just a chance to make a fresh start. You know, go back to basics.”

“Like how _not_ to burn out your hyperdrive?”

Han grinned. “Well, yeah. There’s that. Plus it’s never a bad idea to let the Grand Master of All Things Jedi get his hands dirty once in a while. Sure beats becoming a hermit.”

Luke stared. “What?”

“Hey, I’m just saying.” Han gestured to Luke’s face. “The beard suits you, but it doesn’t exactly mean you’ve had your head in the right place either.”

Luke didn’t reply for a long time. Jaina wanted to offer a consoling hug or a kind word, but she could read the guarded presence he cast. Instead, as Han went back toward the engine section, she turned and went to join Chewbacca at the console.

“Admit it,” she whispered to the Wookiee. “You just invited Uncle Luke over to get him and Dad talking again, right?”

Chewbacca didn’t answer. He did, however, briefly turn away from the console to give Jaina a tiny tilt of his head, as if the answer weren’t blindingly obvious.

Jaina laughed. She playfully socked the Wookiee’s arm before going back to help Luke with the next round of repairs. Over time, the tension in the main hold began to drain away, with only the gentle hum of the _Falcon_ ’s generators and her father’s distant curses filling the air.


	6. Dispute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tenel Ka would rather be enjoying a vacation, but duty calls in settling an ongoing territory debate.

It was a pity, Tenel Ka reflected, that the view from the fourth-level window of the Pacification Gardens was so lovely. She’d give anything to be down there instead of inside, wedged into a chair at the head of a conference table. Her hand rested in her lap, and her smile stayed plastered across her face, but it never quite reached her eyes. A dead giveaway to anyone who knew her how she felt about the two gentlemen arguing on either side of her.

“Trade rights over the asteroid is one thing,” Miar Brand declared. He stroked his beard to emphasize his point. “But let’s be reasonable here. The claim is only valid if we consider the pre-Imperial standard, and not the current Republic territorial lines. We are living in the modern era, after all.”

“Out of the question.” Across the table, Ludo Fann leaned forward in his seat. For a Rodian, his quills were bent and gray, showing signs of his age. “My kin sacrificed everything to claim and mine the ore we found there. It’s ours by right of settlement and we will never trade _that_ away.”

Miar rolled his eyes. “So you insist on telling us...”

Six days of negotiations on Ord Cantrell. That was the price Tenel Ka had paid for accepting this assignment on the Republic’s behalf. The Advisory Council had trusted in her judgment as a former queen and an accomplished Jedi, but in her opinion, they overestimated her sway over the contesting parties. Brand Industries had purchased the original deed to the asteroid by way of the Mining Guild, but the Fann Clan had explored and settled the asteroid since long before the Clone Wars. The result was an impasse, and for all her smiles and calming words, Tenel Ka had yet to make headway.

Between Brand’s legal expertise and Fann’s family rhetoric, neither side would budge.

Once again, Tenel Ka’s thoughts drifted away from the conference room. She spared a glance out the window, and her heart warmed at the sight she found there.

In the gardens below, two figures were walking along a stone path. They stopped every few minutes to admire a bed of flowers or a cluster of vines winding around a statue. One of them wore the familiar brown tunic and robe of a Jedi Knight; she’d worn her hair back in a ponytail for the occasion as well. The other was a child, her hair dark, but unbound, skipping along in a white tunic that she’d bought just for the trip. Even from this distance, her smile was visible.

Over her objections, Jaina had insisted on coming along. She’d also persuaded her girlfriend that bringing Allana would be good for her. A chance to see more of the galaxy beyond Coruscant and the Hapes Cluster. To interact with other children her age, and to see life outside a palace. Tenel Ka had to admit, after seeing them in the gardens together, that her daughter had never looked happier.

 _Then again,_ she thought, _only her aunt could bring out such joy on a simple walk._

Meanwhile, the dialogue, or lack thereof, continued between Brand and Fann. In the better part of an hour, Fann had made several claims to the “ancient techniques” his family had developed for mining the ore from the asteroid NX-711. In opposition, Brand had called up a holographic star chart and pointed to the lines of demarcation between Imperial and Republic territories.

“After all,” Brand insisted, “we could just as easily say that the asteroid belongs to Grand Admiral Thrawn during his campaign, couldn’t we? It was _his_ territory at the time, and your family were Imperial subjects before the Republic liberated that sector.”

“My family’s allegiance is not under question, sir.”

“For the moment. Meanwhile, the Republic _and_ the Guild can easily make an offer to resolve both questions...”

Tenel Ka pressed her hand against her thigh. One more hour of this, and she’d have to demand a recess to collect her wits again. If she were still queen, the dispute would be simple to resolve. A consultation with her advisors and a few minutes of meditation were all she’d required before. Yet here, on such a serene planet, with her beloved and her daughter right outside, the only thing Tenel Ka could resolve was her frustration.

Her hand rose into the air, silencing both men. Every set of eyes around the table swiveled toward Tenel Ka as she rose from her seat.

“Gentlemen,” she said, raising her voice to a more regal tone, “might it be possible to simply _hire_ the Fann family and their workers?”

“Hire _us?_ ” Ludo Fann’s snout curled with distaste. “Never.”

“I beg your pardon, Elder.” Tenel Ka inclined her head toward the Rodian before continuing. “I only meant that, considering the Fann family’s expertise, they _do_ have a knowledge of existing ore deposits and the asteroid’s layout.” Her gaze shifted to Brand. “Knowledge that the Mining Guild would do well to employ.”

“It could be arranged, I suppose.” Again, Miar Brand stroked his beard. “But if we hired them, then the Rodian settlers would have to forfeit all their claims to the asteroid.”

“Not necessarily.” Tenel Ka lifted her hand, using the Force to summon her datapad from the table. She could’ve easily picked it up by hand, but after being made to listen to the dispute for so long, her patience and restraint had run thin. With a few keystrokes, she called up an article and then presented the datapad to both representatives. “Consider this, gentlemen. Under the Republic’s Original Claims Act, any business or territory unlawfully seized by the Empire will be returned to its original owners. Meanwhile, under Section Two of the Galactic Mining Code, the Guild has the right to contract work to any alien, be they natives or emigrants. Therefore, why not take on the Fann family as contractors to the Guild, thereby granting access to the ore while respecting their pre-Imperial claim to the asteroid colony?”

A poignant silence fell over the conference room. Tenel Ka waited, her breath short and quick, as she regarded the assembled humans and Rodians. They murmured to one another in their respective languages, and she felt the mood in the room finally shift from hostility to something she could always count on.

The profit motive.

Fann glanced across the table at Brand. “I find these terms... acceptable.”

“As do I.” Brand drummed his fingers against the obsidian surface. “We can discuss fees at a later date, of course. In accordance with your family’s...” He smiled, which added a demonic flair with his pointed beard and hair. “With their _substantial_ claim.”

“I’m so glad you could see things this way.” Tenel Ka pushed back her chair and moved to stand beside the Rodians. “Now, if you will excuse me for a moment, I, too, have family matters that need my attention.”

She ignored the pleasantries that the two parties shared on her way out. Taking a right, Tenel Ka briskly headed for the turbolift and punched the button for the ground floor.

Minutes later, she emerged through the sliding doors that led into the Pacification Gardens. The sun dipped low in the skies of Ord Cantrell, casting an orange glow over every patch of grass and every stone walkway. Tenel Ka took her time walking along the pavement, letting each step bring her back to the present. Tension spiked in her legs and her lower back. She breathed in deeply, trying to push out trade disputes and mining rights from her head as she regarded a cluster of Ithorian donar flowers.

A giggle from the side caught her attention. Turning around, Tenel Ka smiled as Allana came running up to her. Jaina trailed behind her, wearing a lopsided grin that made the heat rise in Tenel Ka’s face.

“Mommy, you’re here!” Allana buried her face in Tenel Ka’s chest, as her mother crouched down to embrace her. “I thought you’d never be done!”

“Neither did I, my dear.” Tenel Ka squeezed her tight. “Did you have fun without me?”

“Pfft. Hardly.” Coming up behind the girl, Jaina offered a pat on Tenel Ka’s shoulder. “This little one’s practically seen and _named_ every last flower in the garden. She couldn’t bear to be more than a few minutes’ away from your presence.”

Tenel Ka frowned and looked down at her daughter’s smiling face. Of course the child was Force-sensitive. How could she not be? But every mention of that fact brought her closer to the day when she’d undergo her training in the ways of the Jedi.

Closer to the risks and burdens that Allana’s mother and aunt had to shoulder every day.

“Mommy?” Allana’s face turned somber. “What’s wrong?”

Tenel Ka shook her head and smiled. “Nothing, dearest. You’re only growing up so fast. Soon, I’ll blink, and you’ll be an adult yourself.”

“Like Aunt Jaina?”

“More like Aunt Mara.” Jaina ruffled her niece’s hair. “Of course, we’d need to dye your hair first. See if we can match your colors, kiddo.”

“Not on your life,” Tenel Ka challenged. She stood and tightened her arm around her daughter.

Jaina grinned back. “Well, maybe after she finishes school?”

“Jaina Solo, I have spent the better part of a _week_ trying to push these negotiations forward. Do you really want to test me now?”

For a moment, Jaina’s smile turned perplexed. Then it dropped entirely, as she glanced between Tenel Ka’s stern visage and Allana’s confused expression. Meanwhile, the wind picked up, carryiing the sweet scent of donar flowers over the trio.

“I suppose,” Jaina said, “you win this round.” Stepping closer, she drew her arm around Tenel Ka’s shoulder and squeezed. “Buy you a late lunch?”

“An early dinner would be better.” Tenel Ka closed her eyes and leaned into the other woman. “Mmm. And perhaps a quiet night in at the lodge.”

“Ooh!” Allana tugged at the hem of her mother’s robe. “Can we order room service?”

“I don’t see why not.” Jaina nudged her girlfriend with her elbow, her brow lifting. “Provided your mother approves of the menu, of course. It is _her_ trip, after all.”

Fatigue settled into her bones, but the warmth from the other bodies pressing into her kept Tenel Ka alert and on her feet. She smiled sleepily and leaned into Jaina. They continued down the stone path, following its long curve away from the conference center and deeper into the grounds of the grassy plains resort.


	7. Performance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara brings Jaina and Allana with her for a night at the theater. Jaina tries to puzzle out why her aunt is so insistent that they attend this long-running show.

“You can’t be serious.” Jaina stared up at the holographic marquee in front of the theater. She ignored the throngs of humans and aliens passing her on the red carpet. “ _This_ was your idea of a girls’ night out?”

Mara shrugged, her arms folded across her chest. Under the boulevard’s glow globes, her violet tunic glittered against the night sky. “What? Nothing wrong with a little Mon Cal culture.”

“Opera. You bought tickets to a Mon Calamari _opera._ ”

“Technically, it’s a ballet. But there is some singing, so—”

“Aunt Mara?” A little girl’s hand tugged at the older woman’s sleeve. Jaina and Mara looked down at Allana, who was wearing the same brown tunic and robe as her Aunt Jaina, and who’d done her hair up into braids with Mara’s help. Her eyes gleamed under the airtaxi traffic. “Can we go in now? My legs are getting tired.”

Mara’s green eyes flashed up to Jaina, followed by a pointed smile that made her wince. “You heard the little lady.”

Jaina sighed and swept Allana toward her with one arm. “Right, right. Come on, princess. We’re going in.”

 _But you owe me for this,_ Jaina thought. She hoped Mara could hear it through their bond.

If the other woman did, she showed no sign except for a big, content smile.

* * *

Two and a half hours. What Mara called _a modest performance,_ but what Jaina saw as time she could’ve spent doing anything else. Such as tinkering with the _Falcon_ with her father and Chewbacca. Or perhaps meditating at the Jedi Temple. Or suffering through one of Threepio’s anecdotes about the Alderaanian royal family. But, no, she was ever so fortunate to sit through two and a half hours of _Squid Lake,_ watching Mon Calamari and Quarren ballerinas swim through a zero-gravity orb of water.

It wasn’t so much the athletics that bored her. Jaina could, on some level, appreciate the grace of one Mon Cal as she pirouetted along the edge of the water sphere. Rather, it was the music. That low, subharmonic droning that every aquatic species found soothing, but just left her with a mild headache.

“Wow.” Allana’s whisper made Jaina look over at the girl seated to her left. Even after one hour, the little girl remained fascinated with the dancers. Jaina didn’t need to reach out with the Force to tell what she was thinking. She was already planning how to manage Allana’s upcoming insistence that she get dancing lessons in Mon Cal ballet.

 _Better let Tenel Ka handle that one,_ Jaina thought with a wry grin.

Meanwhile, on her right, Mara sat back and stared intently at the display. Every so often, Jaina got the impression that her aunt was looking for something, or someone, within the zero-g splash zone. With a gentle nudge of the Force, Jaina let her presence wrap around Mara like a hug.

“Thanks,” Mara whispered back. In the darkened theater, her grip found Jaina’s hand with a loving squeeze. “I know you’re not a fan, but this means a lot to me.”

“Well, you and Allana are enjoying it,” Jaina added. A quick glance around confirmed that none of the other theatregoers were disturbed by their quiet chat. Everyone’s eyes were either on the display or else glazed over with fatigue.

“I know.” Mara paused. “I’m glad to be helping her with her education.”

“Is that why you didn’t tell us about this sooner?”

“Well, not exactly.” Another pause. “I was being selfish, if I’m being honest.”

Jaina tilted her head. “How’s that?”

Mara didn’t answer. She stared ahead at the pack of ballerinas, a trio of Quarrens, as they dove around a lone Mon Calamari in a triangular formation. Their facial tendrils drifted upward as they swam through the water, which rolled and rippled without losing its spherical shape. Jaina decided to let the matter sit, and she leaned back in her chair to enjoy—or endure—the show.

But then Mara was squeezing her hand again.

Jaina looked over. “What is it?”

“Oh.” Mara’s eyes flashed up, and a tinge of red hit her cheeks. “Sorry. I, uh, didn’t mean to.”

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jaina leaned into her. “Something’s been bothering you.”

Again, Mara stayed quiet. In the gloom, Jaina saw her eyes dart over to Allana, who didn’t take her gaze off the performers, before settling back on her former apprentice. Mara breathed in deeply, and when she sighed, her voice came out in a low rasp.

“I saw this production before,” she told Jaina. “A long time ago. Here, on Coruscant.”

Jaina hesitated. “You mean, back during the Empire?”

Mara nodded. “It was a command performance at the Galaxies Opera House. One of my master’s—” She stopped herself. Her hand tightened around Jaina’s, and Jaina squeezed back. Mara cleared her throat before amending, “One of the Emperor’s favorite shows. It was a popular piece from the Clone Wars era.”

“He took you to shows?” Jaina’s brow wrinkled. “That doesn’t sound very tyrannical.”

“If he had one redeeming feature,” Mara said with a wistful smile, “it’s that he was a lover of the arts. COMPNOR might’ve been censoring every artist from here to the Outer Rim, but the Emperor’s inner circle got to enjoy the real thing.” As she spoke, Mara’s eyes fell toward her lap. “Of course, I wasn’t exactly off-duty that night. I had a job to do.”

Those six little words sent a shiver down Jaina’s spine. She pursed her lips together. “I see.”

Whatever weight on Mara’s mind was lifting, little by little, as she spoke. Her words came out in a gentle, monotone rush. Not loud enough to disturb any of the other patrons in their row, let alone to distract Allana from the Mon Cal dancers.

“There was a Moff back then. Governor Jerach of Anaxes. A trusted bureaucrat as Core Worlders went, from an old family of military heroes. But that his problem, you see. All that family history got to his head. Jerach wanted glory. He wanted victories where he could claim all the credit. So when the Emperor found out that this Moff was forming a private army to round up smugglers and intimidate his rivals, he became concerned. Give a man like that his own army, and before long, he might consider turning it against the Empire itself. But Palpatine didn’t want to kill him outright. Instead, he invited Jerach to see the opera with him. And his entourage, of course.”

Another shiver crept along Jaina’s back. “Which is where you came in.”

Mara nodded. Her eyes remained fixed on her hands. “I sat right behind Moff Jerach for the entire show. I brought him a drink at the intermission, and then I let him flirt with me after the show.” Her lips curled in disgust. “One thing led to another, and I was back at his hotel suite.”

“Ugh.” Jaina made a face. “You didn’t...”

“No, I didn’t.” Mara shot her a glance. “What I _did_ was put a blaster bolt in his head.” Her gaze settled back onto the shimmering water orb, as the droning became a rising whaladon’s whine. “Then I put the blaster in his hand, and I left him sitting in his chair. The authorities saw it as a suicide because those were my orders.” Her voice faltered, just for a second. “And that... was why I never saw another Mon Cal ballet again. Not until tonight.”

Jaina stared. When she looked down at Mara’s hands, she noticed the slightest tremble. But looking up at her face, which had become more lined in recent years, she didn’t see a hint of discomfort. Or regret.

But the shaking hands told her everything.

Leaning over, Jaina rested her head on Mara’s shoulder. She waited for her aunt to lean against her, and their hands found each other in the dark again. They didn’t say a word, but in the Force, there was a light and a warmth flowing between them.

In their bond, Jaina felt her mentor’s anguish. It was cold and gray like a foggy morning. Pushing deeper, Jaina reached out and offered handfuls of love and acceptance. Whatever peace she could share, even if it meant sitting with her family at a non-human dance routine. Between Allana’s wide-eyed curiosity and Mara’s heavy-lidded bitterness, this evening was shaping up to be far more emotionally turbulent than anticipated. All Jaina could do was offer her peace, however small and gray it seemed at that moment.

She appreciated that the droning in the background had returned. Six Quarren began a new routine in the center of the water sphere. Jaina tracked their movements like whaladons migrating, and she imagined that the droning music was an homage to those majestic creatures.

To her right, Mara sighed. She leaned against Jaina’s shoulder, and a tiny smile spread across her face.

“This is better,” she admitted.

“Good.” Jaina stroked away a loose strand of Mara’s red hair from her shoulder. “I’m glad you can find some comfort in this.”

“Well, comfort in you two being here.” Mara squeezed her hand. “I know, I know. An hour and a half to go. I promise we’ll do something else next week.”

Jaina grinned. “So you’ll be joining Dad and me at the grav-ball game?”

Even with the shadows of the theater concealing most of her face, Mara’s disappointed expression was still as plain as day. “Fine. But Allana gets to pick our seats.”

“Deal,” said Jaina. She turned back to watch the dancers swim toward the summit of the water orb, as the music changed once more.


	8. Horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tenel Ka receives a gift from the new Queen of Hapes. Luke takes a chance to try it out while they chat.

Walking briskly across the courtyard, Tenel Ka had time to consider the activity she saw. Students and their Masters sat or walked together along the fountains and gardens, communing with the Force and with each other. Even on such an overcast day, the air surrounding the Jedi Temple was illuminated with the aura of so much potential. Like finding Gallinorean gems on a rocky cliff. That thought left a sour taste in Tenel Ka’s mouth, and so she sped up her pace into the temple’s side entrance.

One turbolift ride later, she stood in the building’s main hangar. Courtesy of the New Republic Defense Fleet and many private sponsors, the bay was filled with all manner of starships. X-wings, E-wings, Corellian freighters, and Mid Rim-style shuttlecraft. Tenel Ka didn’t find much to distract her here. That was more Jaina’s department, and that thought made her smile to herself.

When she reached the hangar’s comm center, she was surprised to find two individuals standing together, both in hooded robes. One of them turned toward her, and even from beneath the shadow of his hood, Tenel Ka was pleased to recognize Luke Skywalker. She took a moment to remember where she was. It would not do to rush forward and try to hug him in front of so many Jedi Knights and temple staffers.

“I’m glad you could make it,” Luke said by way of a greeting. Lowering his hood, he shook out his gray hair and smiled. “I’ve been entertaining our visitor, but it’s you that they’ve come to see.”

Tenel Ka frowned. She glanced over at the hooded figure beside Luke and inclined her head. “Greetings. I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage.”

“Your Majesty.” The accent was clipped, almost familiar. “It is an honor to see you again.”

As the person lowered their hood and bowed at the waist, Tenel Ka’s heart stopped. While she didn’t recognize the man in the robe, she knew every other detail about him. The wavy hair, the porcelain skin and delicate eyes, and that musical, deferential voice with which he’d greeted her. All hallmarks of a born-and-bred Hapan noble. And if that were not enough, Tenel Ka thought that this man’s features bore a striking resemblance to someone she knew.

Someone she’d lost.

“Forgive me.” Tenel Ka approached him. “Are you, by any chance, related to a Lady Eliador?”

The man inclined his head again, more severely than before. “My late sister, Your Highness. I am Elarion, and my father is—”

“Lord Kanly, Marquis of Harterra.”

“Indeed.” Elarion smiled. “Your Majesty’s memory remains impeccable.”

Tenel Ka nodded back, her heart sinking. “Will you accept my condolences for your dear sister? She was a beloved member of my entourage. Her loss...” She pushed aside the memory of the day she and Allana fled the Fountain Palace. “Her loss remains a painful one for me, as it must for you.”

“Your Majesty is far too kind.” Elarion, still smiling, turned toward Luke. “Master Jedi, may I now fulfill my duty?”

“Duty?” Tenel Ka echoed.

Luke chuckled. “Far be it from me to interfere, Your Grace.”

With another bow toward Tenel Ka, Elarion cleared his throat. She fought the urge to tell him to rise. She wasn’t queen anymore. This didn’t matter. But some habits died hard for Hapans.

“Your Majesty,” said the courtier, “I come on behalf of Her Majesty, Queen Lyara of Hapes. She asks that I deliver unto you, in gratitude for your service to the Fountain Throne, and in honor of your reign as monarch, with this memento of your homeworld.”

Tenel Ka remained still. She remembered her last meeting with Lyara, sitting beside her at a long table on the command deck of _Star Home,_ as she formally delivered her crown and her titles to the newly created Varmond dynasty. The other woman, with large eyes and a smile that made her seem far too young for the life ahead of her, had been quiet and gracious in every respect. None of the haughtiness that defined Ta’a Chume or her predecessors. A chance for a new beginning on Hapes. More importantly, a chance for Tenel Ka to start a new life on Coruscant. With Jaina and Allana by her side.

But why would Lyara want to come to her now?

Moving one step ahead, Elarion gestured down the line of ships beyond the comm stations. “It is by royal decree that Your Majesty is granted the ownership and use of Olanji-Charubah’s latest creation, the starfighter _Lone Knight._ ”

Turning to follow his gaze, Tenel Ka almost slapped herself upside the head. In all her excitement, she had failed to notice the obvious. Of all the Republic starships in the hangar, only one ship stood apart.

A Miy’til starfighter. Almost identical to _Storm,_ the fighter that her father had once used. Its sleek curves and flared wings were as familiar to her as any other ship design. And yet, as she examined it more closely, Tenel Ka noted a few discrepancies. Such as the enlarged cockpit, or the lack of a Hapan Royal Family crest on either wing. There wasn’t even an astromech droid on board, and yet, the more she considered it, the more that Tenel Ka realized that it would be the perfect receptacle for R2-B3, Jaina’s personal navigator mech.

“Queen Lyara is...” Tenel Ka fumbled for the right words. “Generous. Most generous.”

“Indeed, M’Lady.” Elarion inclined his head. “She hopes that this vessel might be of use to you and your family in service to both Hapes and the Republic.”

Tenel Ka beamed at him. “You may give Her Majesty my thanks, Elarion. It will be put to good use.”

A low whistle from behind made her turn around. Approaching, Luke examined the fighter with a curious grin. He bent his head as he examined one of the wings from underneath, tracing his gloved hand along the joint where it met the fuselage. For one moment, he stopped being the Jedi Master and lost his formal bearing. The enthusiasm he radiated in the Force belonged to a much younger man, someone that Tenel Ka had never known.

“Now this,” said Luke, “is one fine-looking ship.” He glanced over at Elarion. “What are these, Incom 6X4 engines? Haven’t seen those in decades.”

Seeing Elarion’s confused stare, Tenel Ka could only shake her head and laugh. “You must forgive Master Skywalker. He _is,_ after all, one of the Republic’s foremost pilots.”

“Of that, I have no doubt.” Clasping his hands together, Elarion bowed toward Luke. Tenel Ka didn’t miss the slight twitch in his step as he moved. The poor boy was still intimidated. “I am honored to have your insight, Master Jedi. I did not realize you were familiar with the Miy’til fighter series.”

Luke blinked. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say _familiar._ I’ve never actually flown one.”

She tried to stifle it, but Tenel Ka let out a tiny chuckle. Meeting the older man’s look, she added, “Pardon me, Master. I only... I am simply surprised, that’s all. Given how much time you and my father spent in years past, I only—”

“You assumed I’d know every Hapan ship?” Luke grinned. “I’m flattered.”

Elarion swept back in another grandiose bow. “Then, Master Jedi, if you’ll permit me? I would be honored to arrange a test flight for you and Her Majesty here.”

Luke stared, his mouth slightly ajar. He cast a sidelong glance at Tenel Ka. “I don’t know if—”

“Please,” she interrupted, lifting her hand to his shoulder. In the heat of the moment, Tenel Ka forgot her sense of decorum. “I’d be happy to show you.”

“You’re sure Jaina wouldn’t like a spin first?”

Tenel Ka’s smile sharpened. “She already has. When we retook Relephon.”

“Ah.” Luke’s mouth snapped shut. He cast another sidelong glance, but this time, he gave it to Elarion. “Well, that settles _that,_ I suppose.”

* * *

With an impressive forward thrust, the _Lone Knight_ broke free of Coruscant’s atmosphere in a rising hum of engine power that, to Tenel Ka’s ears, almost sounded like singing. From the passenger seat behind the pilot station, she peered out the bubble canopy at the distant lines of starship traffic gliding in and out of the galactic capital. Massive ore haulers and luxury cruisers became shimmering dots against the planet’s backdrop, as the Miy’til fighter accelerated into a fierce ascent high above orbit.

Behind Tenel Ka, a familiar _theroo-wheep_ caught her attention. She turned around and cast a smile up at the blue-and-white astromech droid in his slot.

“Okay, okay, we’re leveling out,” Luke replied. At the helm, he adjusted his steering. The Miy’til dropped its speed, and the fighter swung around at a more graceful curve toward the planet. “Honestly, Artoo. Sometimes you worry _too_ much.”

R2-D2 responded with an electronic buzz that sounded an awful lot like blowing a raspberry.

Luke chuckled. “Right! Well, don’t let Threepio hear you say that.”

As he pushed a few control levers into place, Tenel Ka leaned forward to get a better view. As Coruscant rotated, she could pick out major landmarks from orbit. The Senate District, Calocour Heights, and The Works. Even a year ago, she would’ve been hard-pressed to identify one neighborhood from another. Now, between her missions for the Republic and her time flying with Jaina, Tenel Ka began to see Coruscant as her new home. It had none of the natural beauty of Hapes or the pure wilderness of Dathomir, but she could live with that.

She could live on a never-sleeping city planet simply because all her loved ones were there.

“I have to give your people some credit,” Luke remarked. Looking over his shoulder, he cast a soft smile in the cockpit’s dim lighting. “They know how to blend style with function.”

“And speed, I presume?”

“Well, yes!” Luke chuckled. “This is _easily_ as fast as a few of the TIEs I’ve flown.”

Tenel Ka settled back into her chair. Slowly, she let her hand fall into her lap. Looking out the viewport again, she tracked the silent motion of stars on the horizon. Constellations that were now familiar to her.

But no sign of the Hapes Cluster from here. No chance to look out and be homesick.

She thanked the Force for such small miracles.

“Something on your mind?” Glancing behind, Luke smiled at her. “You’re radiating some discomfort.”

"It’s nothing.” An obvious lie, but Tenel Ka persisted. “I’m only remembering my people, and what obligations I still have to them.” She faltered when she added, “If any...”

“You’ve taken on a larger calling,” Luke reminded her. “To aid people across the entire galaxy. That’s no small thing.” His smile faded after a moment. “It’s a tremendous sacrifice. It’s hard to know where to even start.”

Tenel Ka brightened. “With those closest to us, of course.”

“Ahh.” Luke’s smile returned, taking away the years of stress from his face. “Someone, I see, has been studying their _Valaresh’s Meditations_ lately.”

“Not since the praxeum, I’m afraid.”

“Even better.” Luke paused. His gaze settled on the distant cityscape of Coruscant that lay thousands of kilometers beneath them. “There’s someone from your time there that I’ve been meaning to talk with. And I wonder if you might join me next time we meet.”

Tenel Ka’s brow furrowed. “I’m sorry, I don’t—”

“You were close before.” Luke didn’t even face her. His eyes tracked the distant starships arriving at their spaceports. “It’s one of the few things he can recall, according to the healers.”

That old crushing weight on her shoulders, that familiar burden, doubled as Tenel Ka grasped Luke’s intent. She bent over in her chair, clinging tight with her one hand to the crash webbing. Then she realized that she could still breathe, but the thought of that man sitting alone in a cell in the Jedi Temple still made Tenel Ka sick in a way she couldn’t describe.

“I would need to consult with my partner first,” Tenel Ka replied. She wanted to say more, but when she opened her mouth, no other words came to mind.

Luke nodded. “Of course. I understand. Take what time you need.” He gestured through the canopy at the depths of space stretching out before them. “We have no such pressing concerns so long as there’s an open horizon like this, isn’t there?”

Behind them, Artoo whistled in agreement. Between Luke’s chuckle and the rising hum of the Miy’til fighter’s engines, Tenel Ka felt more at ease. She leaned back into her chair as the _Lone Knight_ peeled southward again, cruising back into the planet’s gravity well and back into the messy tangle of their lives at home. Back to sitting up with Allana when she had a cold, and to sparring practice with Anakin and Tahiri, and to studying a holocron with Jaina when they had a moment to themselves in the Temple Library. All wonderful moments, and Tenel Ka wouldn’t trade a single one of them.

She was still looking for good memories of a powerful young man she once knew at the praxeum, as the Miy’til began its descent.


	9. Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Jaina's nightmares get worse and worse, she makes a long-overdue visit to the man responsible for them.

Once again, she bolted upright in bed. Clutching the sheets around her, Jaina waited for her heart to stop racing before she risked taking a look. In the shadows, nothing was waiting for her. Nothing about to jump her. Only the soothing glow of lights outside their bedroom window, even with the privacy curtain lowered and the gentle form of Tenel Ka resting beside her.

Jaina felt her stir under the sheets. Sighing, she lowered herself back into bed. Her hands wrapped around Tenel Ka’s waist, and she nuzzled the side of her girlfriend’s neck.

After a long, quiet moment, Tenel Ka murmured, “It wasn’t even an hour, this time.”

“I know.” Jaina sighed and kissed the side of her neck. “It’s getting worse.”

“You know what we have to do, then.”

“I know. I just...” Squeezing her eyes shut, Jaina tightened her grip around Tenel Ka. “Just not yet.”

Lying still together, it was easy to forget all the work that they’d done in the months since. Negotiations on Ord Cantrell. Restoring peace on Hapes. Eradicating the last vestiges of the Sith, and uncovering genuine artifacts of the Jedi. Even accompanying Luke and Mara on an expedition to the Ahch-To system, where rumors had swirled about the real origins of the Jedi Order. And all that paled in comparison to the simple life that they’d built for Allana, their pride and joy. Taking her to shows, overseeing her studies with See-Threepio, and just playing with the adorable child every chance they got.

So much work accomplished. And so much still unfulfilled.

If she closed her eyes long enough, Jaina could picture the last time she’d seen him. A blurred, distorted holo of the young man, sitting stone-faced on a bench, flanked by olbio trees and Knights in orange robes. A fabrication of the man—the boy—she’d once known. In her own way, she still loved him, even though it broke her heart every time she remembered it.

Months and months later, they hadn’t changed. Still broken. Their bonds still in tatters.

Jaina leaned in, her voice whispering against Tenel Ka’s ear. “If I go... I won’t do it alone.”

“That was never an option,” Tenel Ka replied. A light chuckle filled the room, and then her one hand was snaking around to lock with Jaina’s fingers. “For either of us.”

* * *

They stood together under the olbio trees, ignoring the half-asleep ysalamiri. With their bubbles extending outward, there was nowhere for the Force to touch this place deep within the Temple. A moment of disorientation once they passed beneath the trees, although years of training with Mara Jade had helped the two women adjust. Clad in their formal robes of brown and green, they walked behind a Verpine in orange robes, his hood raised over a chitinous green brow. Deeper into the facility they went, past bare silver walls and cell doors guarded by other orange-robed Knights. Jaina could only look over at Tenel Ka, hesitating before reaching out her hand.

Tenel Ka reached back. After a moment, she smiled.

“We thank you for your patience,” the Verpine said in a light buzz. He lifted a claw to the nearest door control panel. With a flick of his wrist, the door beyond the last of the olbio trees slid open. “Take what time you need. We will remain here should you feel in danger at any point.”

“Is that really necessary?” Jaina asked.

The Verpine inclined his head. “We apologize, but we do not take risks with visitors, Jedi Solo.” As he extended his claw toward the open door, he added, “When you are ready...”

Turning back to Tenel Ka, Jaina’s frown turned severe. And yet, one look into those gray eyes put her mind at ease. For the moment, anyway. She gave her hand one last squeeze before leading the way into the cell.

The door slid shut behind them, and the rustling of the leaves outside fell silent.

Everything fell silent.

Everything except for the light breathing from across the room.

On a bench, draped in a gray cloak and tunic, Jacen Solo lifted his head. Jaina’s breath caught. He looked miserable. A month’s time had left him with a beard, flecked with streaks of silver that didn’t match his age. His eyes were sunken, and even their brandy-brown light had lost some of their old shine. But the lopsided grin he gave her, only for a second, reminded Jaina of who this was. Of who he was supposed to be.

Of happier times. Before that hour on Tangrene.

“You...” The word left his mouth in a ragged whisper. Jacen coughed and wiped at his lips, with hands that were, for now, unbound. “I remember you...”

Jaina glanced at Tenel Ka, who looked back with a wordless question.

“Both of us?” asked Jaina.

Jacen squinted. “Yes. My sister, and my...” He paused. For a long, long time, he said nothing at all, but he peered at the two women like they were specimens in a cage. Finally, with a sigh, he dropped his head and muttered a short, “Blast...”

“Jacen.” Tenel Ka hesitated before stepping forward. “What happened when you came here?”

“The healers.” Jacen shrugged. “I don’t know. They did what they could, I suppose. Exorcised the ghost...” After a pause, he chuckled. “The Sith Lord’s spirit. Or what was left of him. So much essence to clear out, like taking a scalpel to my skin.” He laughed again. “You know, sometimes? I almost forget who I’m supposed to be. Like, some mornings, I wake up, and I think _This can’t be my throne room,_ and it’s only then I remember that I’m not Corvus Pall...” His head hung low once more. “Not that I ever could have been.”

“Your dreams,” Jaina whispered.

Both Jacen and Tenel Ka turned to stare at her. She winced, and retreated half a step.

“What I mean,” she amended, “is that you’re reliving the past. And sometimes not your own.”

“Right!” Jacen’s eyes lit up. He pressed his hands forward, as if pleading with her. “You got it right! None of the healers got it.”

Jaina felt like a piece of the puzzle had clicked into place. She’d spoken with Cilghal upon arriving at the Temple. Sorrow had permeated the air when the Mon Calamari spoke about Jacen’s condition. _Like putting together a mosaic with half the pieces missing,_ she said, _and with some I don’t even recognize._ Tenel Ka had offered soothing waves through the Force, and Jaina tried to remember that calming energy even now, in this distant cell below ground.

“When you dream,” Jaina continued, “what do you see?”

“I remember...” Jacen closed his eyes. His jaw tightened. “I remember a battle. A duel. Desert sands. Rocky cliffs. And... and there was this girl charging at me with a violet blade...”

Jaina tried, with all her might, not to hit him for that remark. She felt Tenel Ka’s hand tighten over her shoulder.

“What else?” she asked.

“I see another girl sometimes. A child.” Jacen breathed in slowly. “And I think she’s afraid of me.”

“Because of something you did?”

“Yes...” Jacen shook his head. “And, well, sometimes it’s because of what he _said_ to her.”

“Who?”

“The other one.” Jacen shook his head. “Corvus Pall. The Lord of the Sith.”

Jaina let out a breath slowly. “And do you hear him still?”

When he shook his head, Jacen looked very small to her eyes. Small, and helpless. “No. No, I... I haven’t heard him for a while now. Not since Tangrene. Not since I—”

His voice cracked. Jaina could only stare as his eyes widened. His chest rose and fell a little more sharply, and as his breathing got stronger, Jacen’s head dropped into his hands. Fingers clutching at his temples, he began to shiver.

“No,” Jacen whispered. “No, that was how... that was where he... back in the swamp, I let him...”

Jaina stepped forward. She came up short, only a few paces away from him, her hands stretched out, but not quite touching him.

“Jacen,” she insisted, “what do you remember about him?”

“The temple on Dromund Kaas.” Jacen’s voice went low. She had to strain to hear him. “I reached out to him with the Force. I tried to banish him. I tried to find his core... but he...” He shook his head. “He found mine instead. That’s how he got in.”

“How he converted you,” Jaina risked saying.

“I trusted him.” Jacen’s voice cracked again, and when he looked up, his eyes were full of tears. They streaked down his face, and into his beard. Through the tears, a spark of recognition appeared at last. “Jaina, I—”

No more words were needed. Jaina cut him off with a slap across the face. And then, as a shocked silence fell across the room, she knelt down and wrapped her arms around him. Pressing Jacen’s head into her shoulder, she finally let her own tears fall, and Jaina sighed. She held onto Jacen with all of her strength, and she stroked his hair while he sobbed into her robes.

Tenel Ka was at their side in a heartbeat. Her hand pressed into Jaina’s back, and her head knelt against Jaina’s neck, though she kept some distance from Jacen.

“You idiot,” Jaina whispered, trying to be heard over her brother’s sobs. “You Sithspawn idiot. You’re supposed to trust _us._ We trusted _you._ We _still_ trust you, and that’s the worst part about this entire mess, you know?”

Jacen had no response to that. Jaina could only hold him while he wept, and she closed her eyes against the misery. Even with the ysalamiri bubble encasing them, she almost sensed something change inside him. Something familiar reaching out. A hand fumbling through endless shadows, searching for something to grip. She gripped onto his body instead, and Jaina let a tiny bit of calm enter her.

She revisited Tangrene in her mind. Watched green and violet lightsabers clash in the endless night. Remembered the pain of his fall, and the hope of catching Allana. Remembered the whine of shuttle engines approaching as she sat beside him in the empty wastes.

And then—

She saw Jacen Solo, fourteen and trying to coax a crystal snake back into its cage. She saw Jacen Solo, nineteen and embracing her as he left for an expedition to the Unknown Regions. She saw Jacen in Allana’s face, and in the way she smiled, even though it broke her heart.

Jaina pulled back and tilted her brother’s face up. She brushed away some of the tears there.

“Do you remember Anoth?” she asked. “It used to be so cold and gloomy, but when we couldn’t sleep, we’d sit together. And then, sometimes Winter would come in and—”

“And she’d sing to us,” Jacen answered. His voice was hoarse, but his smile was gentle. “And... after a while, we’d fall asleep again.”

Jaina grinned. “Exactly.”

They continued to chat like that, long into the afternoon. Tenel Ka kept her distance, but she offered one or two memories from Yavin 4. Jaina, however, never left the bench. She sat right beside Jacen, their hands locked together, and she guided him back, moment by moment. For however long it took.

For however much it hurt her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written 12/29/2017:
> 
> I was originally going to write one more story for this series, but between a severe case of writer's block and a busy schedule, I wasn't able to give this series the finale it deserves. So, as it stands, I'm ending it here, on what I consider to be a hopeful note for everyone, as painful as it is. Thanks to everyone who's read and enjoyed this series, and have a Happy New Year!
> 
> Edit (2/2018): Never mind! Here's one more!


	10. Avenue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year after the crisis has passed, Tenel Ka joins her new family on a public outing. She and Mara discuss where things will go from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, guess what? I wasn't satisfied with how I ended this series. To be honest, I always planned to write an ending like this, but last year, I had some things to deal with at home, and so my head wasn't in the right place. But now I'm back, and this is happening.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who's been a fan of this series. It truly was a blast to write.

Sunlight glittered off the rooftop panels of a nearby energy tower, creating a magnificent prism that everyone along Calocour Heights could admire. Vermillion tinged with emerald, emerald shading into magenta, and just a hint of azure. Like the gems of Gallinore, which made Tenel Ka more than a little homesick just then. Her hand gripped onto the railing of the observation deck. The iron bar had been warmed by pure sunlight, and she let her eyes drift shut against the gentle heat, just for a moment.

“Needed a break?”

The familiar voice made her turn around. Coming up from behind, Mara Jade Skywalker grinned. She unzipped her jacket, letting the sharp breeze blow her lapels open. Tenel Ka stepped aside, letting the older woman join her by the railing.

“I know I did,” Mara continued. She leaned over the rail, staring out at the shimmering energy collector. “Keeping up with your little princess isn’t so easy for a woman my age.”

“She’s spirited.” Tenel Ka smiled fondly. “That’s why her aunt and uncle are keeping watch.”

For a second, she glanced back across the public square. Far beyond the transplanted trees from the forest moon of Endor, as Ewok immigrants and protocol droids went about their routine garden maintenance, she could spot a few shapes darting in and around the grove. Tenel Ka didn’t need to reach out with the Force to hear a little girl’s laughter as she skipped along the paved stone paths. Close behind her were Jaina and Anakin Solo, both panting and trying to intercept the child as she darted from one tree to the next.

A simple twist of the Force would’ve pulled Allana off her feet and into Jaina’s arms, but she knew better. There were rules to the game, and Anakin had promised to hold his sister to them.

“I’m just glad we could get out like this again.” With a sidelong glance, Mara added, “I never did thank you, by the way, with your help with that last mission.”

“It was my pleasure.”

“Sure wasn’t pleasant for that pirate lord.”

Tenel Ka tried to suppress a shiver. “Pter Barbos was given every chance to surrender. I only wish he hadn’t taken so many of his crew.”

As her hand tightened on the railing, she flashed back to that battle near the Rishi Maze. She and Jaina, flying the _Lone Knight_ together, as Mara oversaw the rest of the Jedi task force sent to contain the Barbos pirate fleet in an impressive ambush. Sien Sovv’s strategy, with plenty of input from the stragetically-minded Anakin Solo, was a brilliant set of maneuvers, corraling each ship into containable sectors and cutting off escape routes. The only flaw in his plan was Captain Barbos himself, whose pride would not allow him to suffer capture or execution. The proton bomb on his star cruiser did more damage to his own fleet than to the Republic armada. Even now, Tenel Ka could still hear the screams echoing in the Force.

She’d clung to Jaina for a long time after their return to Coruscant.

“Hey.” Mara’s voice was warm. When Tenel Ka, she met the other woman’s concerned gaze, and she didn’t resist when Mara put her hand on her shoulder. “You did what you could. I’m proud of you for making the effort to get a surrender.”

“It wasn’t easy.” Tenel Ka smiled sadly. “I needed Jaina for comfort.”

“She’s good for that.” Tilting her head, Mara favored her onetime apprentice a teasing grin. “Now, if you were to ask _me,_ I’d also say it’s high-time you two considered making it permanent. You know, since she’s adopted Allana _and_ moved in with you...”

Tenel Ka laughed. “Oh, yes! We’ve discussed it.” She shook her head, still smiling to herself. “I was only waiting for my parents to get settled in first.”

“Pfft.” Mara’s snort preceded her laugh. “Right. _Settled_ isn’t how I’d describe your parents, Tenel Ka.”

“They manage—”

“With a _hunting_ trip?” Mara fixed her with a knowing smile. “On Utapau?”

Tenel Ka failed to stop her blush. She turned away, her hand tangling a strand of hair around one finger. “My mother has some... _peculiar_ ideas about keeping my father entertained.”

“Heh. I look forward to seeing more of that.” Mara winked. “Again, provided you and Jaina ever get serious and settle this family question once and for—”

“We will.” Tenel Ka reached out, taking hold of Mara’s hand on the railing. Their eyes met, and Tenel Ka hoped that her resolve showed true on her face. “We’ve worked so hard to get this far. We will get there, too.”

Mara nodded. Then, after a moment, she looked past Tenel Ka’s shoulder. Her brow lifted. “And it looks like someone _else_ is making progress, too.”

Even before she turned around, Tenel Ka knew exactly who that someone was. On the far side of the grove, near a cluster of Ewoks with tool belts trimming the lower branches, were the rest of the Solo-Skywalker clan. Luke and Leia were chatting with See-Threepio, while Artoo-Detoo engaged a fellow astromech in a rapid-fire series of binary chatter. Beyond them, Han and Chewbacca were discussing—well, arguing, really—about the most convenient route to a bar near the Underlevels. Their gestures could be seen from space, which made Tenel Ka chuckle.

But her laugh wasn’t reserved for the last family member, who sat further back on a bench, flanked by Jedi Knights in orange robes.

With his hood raised, she couldn’t see his face, but she knew where his eyes were looking. Jacen Solo had been on the mend these last few months. Little over a year after his capture on Tangrene, his mind was finally begun to repair itself. His face still hadn’t regained its color, and he still insisted on keeping a trim beard. But the sorrow in his eyes, as he watched his family and tried to remember the halcyon days he once shared with them, cut Tenel Ka more deeply than anything.

Much like Jaina had during their reunion, she wanted to both slap and hug Jacen for all the things that he brought to mind.

She felt his eyes track Allana, and through the Force, Tenel Ka sensed no threat. None of the malice or twisted desire that had clouded his thoughts on Tangrene and on Hapes. Only a broken man, trying to recognize his own daughter.

“He needs more time than any of us,” she risked saying. “But you’re right. Jaina and I have no reason to put things off any longer.”

Mara’s hand squeezed over hers, and Tenel Ka turned to smile at the other woman. Then she was folded into an embrace, and she returned it after a moment’s shock. If any of their kin were watching, they said nothing. Tenel Ka savored the quiet moment with her former mentor, whose hair and grace reminded her so much of her own mother.

“It’s the strangest thing,” said Mara, letting go of Tenel Ka. She regarded her with a knowing look. “I knew taking on Jaina as my student was going to change my life. But I never imagined how much it’d change _yours,_ too.”

“We’re forever grateful for that.” Tenel Ka offered her arm. “Shall we head back, then?”

Without a word, Mara locked arms with her. They turned away from the gleaming avenues and towers outside Calocour Heights, as the setting sun warmed their backs. Tenel Ka followed the laughter of Allana and Jaina through the park’s trees, and she shared a knowing nod with Anakin, who’d paused to catch his breath while trying to keep up with the two. As she listened for the familiar voices of her in-laws, and for the soothing growls of their Wookiee protector, Tenel Ka didn’t mind that the sun was setting and the cold night was drawing in over them. They had time to work things out.

So when Jaina finally collected Allana in her arms and came running toward her, Tenel Ka let go of Mara. She intercepted the two in an embrace. Allana giggled and buried her head against her mother’s shoulder. Tenel Ka patted her back, and she turned to the person she loved just as much.

But as her lips parted, she said nothing.

She only had to look into Jaina’s eyes to read the answer to her question already burning in them.


End file.
